SSC CGL: Assistant in Ministry of External Affairs Job Profile, Salary, Pay Scale, Career

SSC CGL Assistant in Ministry of External Affairs Job Profile: The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) recruits candidates for various posts in government ministries and government. Millions of candidates apply every for the varied positions releases by the SSC CGL. Amongst all the posts,  the Assistant in the Ministry of External Affairs is one of the most coveted posts that lakhs of aspirants prepare for. This article will provide complete details regarding the Assistant in MEA Job Profile,  Recruitment Exam, Salary and Career Path. 

Many candidates must have doubts and queries regarding the key responsibilities of the SSC CGL ministry of external affairs assistant. Therefore, we will answer the following questions to help the candidates understand the job profile before starting their application process. Please read till the end to get an answer for the below queries.

• What are the necessary Education Qualifications required for applying for the post of Assistant in Ministry of External Affairs?

• How to get recruited for the post of Assistant in Ministry of External Affairs?

• What is the Job Description of an Assistant in Ministry of External Affairs?

• What is the Salary of an Assistant in Ministry of External Affairs?

• What is the career path of an Assistant in Ministry of External Affairs?

Let us first explore the job profile of an Assistant in the Ministry of External Affairs.

Assistant in MEA Job Profile

The selection process is quite rigorous as MEA emphasises selecting skilled candidates with good professional excellence. There are two profiles offered to the assistants in MEA. The job responsibilities and duties vary as per the profile. 

• Assistant (General): As a General Assistant, the job duties will involve clerical and cataloguing work. Candidates will be posted to foreign countries for three years; thereafter, they have to report back to Delhi or be transferred to a different country. The foreign postings are offered after a candidate completes two years of service with the MEA. An Assistant is responsible for maintaining the relationships with their counterparts in the countries they are posted at.
• Assistant (Cypher): The job profile is much more challenging than an Assistant General. The job duties involve coding-decoding/ deciphering confidential messages for MEA. This also involves getting to know highly confidential details regarding various events and documents and secure communication coding languages. Cypher Assistant are posted to foreign countries for six years, thereafter they have to report back to Delhi, or they can be transferred to a different country.

According to the abilities and preference of the candidates, they are posted in either of the profiles in the Ministry of External Affairs.

Now, let us discuss the recruitment procedure of an Assistant in the Ministry of External Affairs through SSC Combined Graduate Level Examination 2021.

SSC CGL Assistant in Ministry of External Affairs Recruitment Procedure 

The recruitment procedure for the SSC CGL Assistant in MEA is listed below. The competition is tough as millions of candidates compete for the job posts. Candidates must check Assistant in MEA eligibility before while applying for the SSC CGL 2021 exam.

Candidates applying for the post of  Assistant in MEA must have a graduation degree in any discipline from a recognised university. The recruitment procedure involves SSC CGL Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier III Examination, followed by document verification of the shortlisted candidates.

SSC CGL Tier 1: The SSC CGL Prelims will be an objective paper of 200 marks with questions from four sections; General Intelligence and Reasoning, General Awareness, Numerical Aptitude and English Comprehension. Candidates need to clear the SSC CGL Prelims exam to move to the next level.

SSC CGL Tier 2: Competition gets more challenging at this level. SSC CGL Mains exam is an objective paper of 400 marks with questions from two sections; Quantitative Abilities and English Language and Comprehension. Candidates need to work hard to get higher marks in the prelims section to get selected for the next exam phase.

Read: SSC CGL Exam Syllabus 2021 [Detailed] 

SSC CGL Tier 3: Candidates clearing the mains exam are invited for a descriptive exam conducted in a pen and paper format. Candidates have to write either an essay/ application/ letter/ precis in Hindi or English. The maximum score in this section is 100.

Candidates scoring a minimum of cut-off marks will be considered for the merit listing and will be called out for the document verification round. The selected candidates are posted at different locations at the discretion of the selection commission.

Read: SSC CGL Exam Pattern 2021 [Detailed] 

Note:  The staff selection commission calculates a cumulative score of Tier I, Tier II and Tier III exams while creating the merit list. The candidates will be considered for the post of Assistant in MEA after document verification. Candidates preparing for the upcoming SSC Combined Graduate Level Exam 2021 must get familiar with the exam syllabus to score well.

We hope the detailed recruitment procedure will help the candidates plan better for the exam preparation.

Assistant in Ministry of External Affairs Salary, Pay Scale and Allowances    

The salary breakdown of an Assistant in Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)

• • • Pay Scale: Rs 44,900 to 1,42,400
  • Grade Pay: Rs. 4,600/-

Apart from the regular fixed pay, an Assistant working in Ministry of External Affairs also enjoys a bunch of perks, benefits and allowances.

1. DA on Total Pay above (around 107%)
2. Transport Allowance (TA)
3. House Rent Allowance (if not provided with quarters)
4. Long Term Care (LTC)
5. NPS Contribution

The gross salary range is approx. Rs. 66,909.

In the case of Foreign Posting, candidates can expect the salary to be around $1800–$2900 or Rs. 1 lac to 2 lacs with other allowances such as heating or cold allowance. Housing Facilities will also be included.

Assistant in Ministry of External Affairs Work Environment

An Assistant in MEA is mainly confined to a desk job and assists IFS officers in their daily activities. They have to coordinate between various consulates and provide a necessary path for relationship building and maintenance. The job profile dictates primarily clerical work which can be done during office hours.

The work environment is supportive and offers growth opportunities to deserving candidates. Within few years, assistants can expect to be promoted to higher levels, seeking more responsibilities and departmental functions.

Assistant in Ministry of External Affairs Career Path and Opportunities

Promotion wise Assistant MEA post is very good if you clear the departmental exam in time. You would get your first promotion in around 6-8 years. With first promotion, you would become Administrative Officer (A.O.).

1. Administrative Officer (AO)
2. Under Secretary
3. Deputy Secretary
4. Director

The second promotion in this post is Under Secretary, Group– A, IFS level post. One may get a second promotion in around eight years.

After this promotion, candidates get allotted a batch year by UPSC, and they serve as an IFS officer. Next promotions in the line are Deputy Secretary, in around 8 years, Director, in about 5-6 years, Joint Secretary, in approximately 4-5 years.

In small countries, Director is posted as a Head of the Mission (Consulate General of India). As a Joint Secretary, one may become an Ambassador of India.

We hope this article clears all the doubts and queries regarding an Assistant in the MEA job profile. Share further questions in the comments section below, and we will answer them shortly.

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